¶ He who takes woman for a companion,Consider whether he acts wisely or foolishly.He who expends his care upon a woman,Hear regarding his death and just desert!He who woman loves and woman believesContrives his death, drinks his death.He who desires or prizes a womanSeeks his own death and no comfort.Without honor or praise, he sells himselfAnd makes the noose to hang himself.He who memorizes these versesShall fear woman more than the spear. Woman is the root of all evils.Woman begets mortal angers.Woman deceives good friends.Between two brothers, she makes enemies.Woman divides son from father,Forcibly refts him from his mother.Woman by her false speechFlatters man and then deceives him.Woman deceives the wisest;Of the richest, makes beggars.Woman causes battle and wars,To kill people, to destroy lands.She burns castles, captures cities.Woman demolishes fortresses.Woman causes tournaments to be taken up,And causes devastation to occur.Woman causes fights to commence,Knives and swords to be drawn.Woman causes castles to be overthrown,Knights and men-at-arms to be injured.Woman causes men to forsake holy ordersAnd abandon God’s service.Woman begets in a little whileThat for which the whole country weeps. Woman is happy in demonstrating this:Woman is a lion in devouring.Woman is a fox in deceiving men.Woman is a bear in maiming bodies.Woman is a vulture in taking all.Woman is a goshawk in capturing prey.Woman is a sparrow hawk in flying high.Woman is an owl in high climbing.Woman is a heron of soft coat.Woman is more rough than a camel.Woman is a horse of great debauchery.Woman is a dragon of burning heat. One doesn’t know debilitating fatigueUnless he has a woman for companion.Woman is a fountain beneath the way,Who receives and engulfs all.Woman is a tavern that doesn’t run out,Whoever comes and whoever goes.Woman is a hell that receives all;She’s always thirsty and always drinks.This is woman’s nature — Believe her the less as she swears the more!Woman is never taken privatelyWho hasn’t been found to be beneath praise.Woman is light as the wind — One hundred times a day she changes her will. But one who would wish to enjoy a woman,I shall say to him, without lying,That he should give her little to eat,And dress and shoe her badly,And he should beat her fast and thick — Thus will he have his will with a woman!He’s not at all wise who believes a woman,Though she be mother or sister. For the wise Solomon — Who for wit was so very famousThat there was none wiser than he — Was deceived by his wife.And so was strong Samson,By a woman with her tricks:Fast asleep, he lostWhat made him so strong.In woman is such wickednessThat even Emperor ConstantineHad shame on account of his wife,For she slept in wantonnessWith the ugly-faced dwarf,As one may find in writing.And the good doctor Hippocrates,Who knew so well the arts of medicine,Was deceived by his wife — This thing is well known.For this, I tell you, all day long,Watch out for feminine trickery!No man can reach a good end,So terrible is the evil of woman! I don’t wish to speak further about women — Let each protect himself from them as best he can!And I tell you this entirely without lying:Woman is one trick ahead of the Devil!

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